The Golden Sand
by Alan Spencer
Summary: Wandering the world, Emiya Shirou comes across Sakura Kyoko, only a week after she lost everything and decides to take care of her.
1. Uncoiling

**The Golden Sand**

 **Chapter 1**

 _Uncoiling_

I heard the sound of crashing swords, as the darkness slowly clears. I don´t know what I am doing, how I am, nor where I am. That vagueness last´s only an instant. Before me stands a familiar landscape. The lake on the back of a temple. The muddy glow, and ahead of me Ilya, her hair white as snow almost hiding her face, crucified in that strange cross of red energy. Behind it, something like a black hole is floating in the sky. I know this. It´s the essence of the tainted grail. But. I know I can´t concentrate on that. Below the white girl, there´s that priest, wearing his somber cassock and with the cross hanging from his neck. Kotomine Kirei. That name still makes my teeth chatter.

A fight that will decide everything unfolds before, like back then. I see myself, like this is some kind of movie, running forward towards the priest towards the priest, without thinking of what could come next. The only desire boiling in me is reaching him, I can use the trump card Tohsaka left me to even the overwhelming odds to erase him from this world. Those are not the thoughts a hero should have, even towards a villain like him, but it fills my brain and cloths like blood.

I jump to the side, narrowly avoiding behind hit by the tentacles of black mud. Only ten meters were between us, but my advance is slow down. The tentacles keep increasing as I talk with him, exchanging words that I can´t heard nor remember. And in end, he baits me. Tells me to put my life on the line to reach him, like I need to be told every single thing.

I struggle to avoid the tentacles, but they are so many and so fast, so I can´t avoid being hit. The mud sticks to me, burning away my clothes to expose my skin. I soon lose all feeling in my ankle. At that time, my mind was so occupied I didn´t notice it, but now I know that each attack is just to toy with me. They are sent not to kill, but to push me back. I ran so much, but at the end of the fierce attack the distance between us remains ten meters. I put the streght I can muster on avoiding the tentacles, not even trying to do anything but prevent my death by now. I trip, and my body falls. The pressure of the pain and the mud drives me to fall, and I left at the priest´s mercy. He soon makes the darkness consume me, and I see hell.

All the crimes of humanity were engraved in my mind, so much so that I can remember everything from that time. The starting penalty is five... But I don´t die. This is bad dream, but things happen as they had happened before. I manage to push myself out of the dense black mud, leaving behind the voices of the damned spitting their curses. I am soon swallowed once again, but I make it. My one, only perfect Projection. Avalon. The light of the utopia she sought blows all the darkness away, and I run, with the Azoth Sword in my left hand. The priest is shocked, so everything ends in instant. I stab the sword into his chest, and active it. The overflowing magical energy coming from the sword tears apart the priest. He falls, and sinks into the black mud.

The end of the battle, and of the War. It has been fourteen years already, but it´s still burned brightly into my mind. The thirteen days; my only time with Saber. Soon, Saber comes to me and destroys the Grail. Alone, in the hill, with the wind blowing, we look at each other. I remember how beautiful she was, framed by the sun. But I don´t remember her voice, nor of she smiled. Even her is fading away from my brain. It´s only natural. Yes, it is...

"Shirou, I love you." But I have keep those four words in my heart through everything I have done, my struggles, the discovering and mastering of my Projection magecraft. The people I could save, and the people I let down. The smiles, and the tears of those I had to trample upon. Even if I forget everything, I never forget the words she left me before disappearing forever, back to her own time. I couldn´t never forget about her love, that brilliant golden hair, the miracle of our meeting.

Before my eyes, Saber´s fades away again. And I am left alone on that desolate hill, with the remains of the fierce battle and Ilya, sad but not bend nor broken. The only thing her disappearance did was fuel my determination. That night of fate that started everything... I had to make sure that, once I would reunite with her, I wouldn´t regret what I did.

* * *

I wake up. The ceiling above me slowly comes into focus. With a hand on my head, I stand up. That dream again. So many years ago, I had continuous nightmares about the fire, and they resurfaced again during the war. In these twenty years, those dreams have been replaced with dreams of the war, out of order, jumbled and with mistakes that quickly slip away from my mind once I wake up. And I don´t like them at all. I accepted Saber´s disappearance before it ever happened, but as much as relieving my memories with her empowers me, I don´t like feeling like I a losing her again. It´s all the more painful, since I don´t have here to lose in the first place. It makes me felt empty, tiny and so _powerless_...

I get up, throwing away those thoughts. There cannot not be any hesitation. Twenty years would be a long time for anybody else, but it´s nothing to me. The distant dream I wish for, the Ally Of Justice that can end any calamity. I can´t reach such a thing in ten years. That´s right. An ideal is not worth calling such if it can be reached in such a short time. So, I have to aim towards the horizon. Following the fading echoes that Saber left me, I have to grasp my own future with these hands. That´s the only path possible for Emiya Shirou. It just how things are.

Even if I only felt like I am dragging myself forward, leaving pieces of myself behind only for the sake of that dream. Even if when I look back now, at that noble ideal I saw in my childhood, and know that in my heart of hearts that it has become a duty, those feeling are natural since I am only human. But. I am me until the end. I will not betray myself. No matter the things I drop on the way, the memories that disappear meaninglessly in front of my eyes, I know that I have to do this. Something so dizzying and sacred can´t not be abandoned. Maybe there´s nothing brilliant enough to make up for all the things I lost in the end...

Even so, that´s life.

That´s fine, too.

* * *

I get out out of the hotel, and wander the streets, my body tense, keeping my arms to the side and my hands clenched. It´s winter, and it feels like it is too, so I put on a scar. Kazimo. I have been in this city before a few times. Two or three. Five, at the most. I couldn´t be sure. After so many years, and since I don´t allow myself to form a connection with anybody, the cities all blended into each other. In any case, I am here on the look out for crimes I can stop without risking being exposed. It´s limiting, and really frustrating, but it can´t be helped. I only have my Tracing version of Projection. All other uses of magecraft are beyond me, so satellite monitoring and other such things are a problem to me. Besides. Dressing up as a hero to not expose my identity would just cause me more problems. Is better to stay like this during daylight, and do my best to help people despite those necessary limits.

I notice nothing of note through the streets. The people were peaceful, even if it was only for today. Even if may not last an hour more, or even a second. It´s nice. I don´t dream of a world without conflicts, no such a thing exists, but I can´t deny that simply seeing people smiling naturally and living their daily life makes me happy.

As I pass the bridge, I heard a quiet, strangled sound that sound like somebody was crying. Even with reinforced hearing, I was only been barely able to heard it. It could have be my imagination, but it didn´t matter if it could or not. A hero wouldn´t pass on a crying person, just because it seemed that they had only imagined it. So I looked below, towards the sound. There was a girl there, below the bridge, sitting with her back against the wall, curled into a ball and hugging her knees. Along with that, her small form was soaked. It made her look so small and vulnerable...

I clench my fists. It could be something petty that seems big only to kids, like a disagreement with a friend or something like, but somehow I doubt it. I really doubt it. This is something serious. That face of hers. Even partially obscured by her deep red hair, I recognize it. It´s the same face I made back then, for so many years, after being rescued by Kiritsugu. Those eyes devoid of light, reflecting only a deep emptiness. Only so much worse. I had something to keep me moving forward, to allow me to live with my head held high, but this girl doesn´t seem to have anything. So... so as a hero, I have to give her everything. I jump over the railing, into the grass below. I land in a crunch, and walked to the huddle form of the girl that couldn´t have more that ten years old. She didn´t heard me come. Or at least, she didn´t even care. Which was worse.

I like to say that I don´t know enough about the world to not have an idea of just how bad her situation would be, but that´s wrong. I have more that enough experienced with the ugliness of mankind to torment myself with the worst possibilities, without even knowing that if my bad feeling was more than that. When there is only a meter separating us, she lifts her head and looks at me.

...It´s worse that I had imagined. I could only see a part of her face back then, so I thought she was similar to the me from back then. Empty, but keeping on living just because I thought I couldn´t die. Because I thought that if a miracle happened that allowed me to live while other´s died, I should at least life my life until whatever end awaited. But that´s clearly wrong. This girl´s soul has been poured out like water; she doesn´t even seem to care about living. I force myself to relax my tense body. I couldn´t stand scaring her.

"What´s wrong?" I said, making my voice as soft as it can be. Which is not that much, honestly. I might be mistaken for... I don´t even want to finish that thought.

"I..." her voice was as small as herself, and broken like she looked. She stood up, her long, thin legs lightly trembling. "Just pretend you didn´t see me."

I reach out, and grab her sleeve. She stops on her tracks, freezes and doesn´t say anything. That´s the action of somebody who is afraid of pain. A kid shouldn´t even know it. I don´t like where this is going, but it seems to be the truth. She was abused. Can´t guess to what extend, but I can´t think of any other reason for her behavior. If it was merely because I grabbed her, and I was a stranger, a kid should start shouting insults at me or even try to bit me. But this was different.

"I can´t do such a thing. Look. I won´t say I can help you with what you are going through, because that´s pretending I understand your pain without even knowing what happened to you. But. I can at least listen to what have you to say, if you want me to."

"You... You wouldn´t believe me."

"And why is that?"

"Adults don´t believe in magic." I freeze. I know that as a kid she might still believe in those kinds of things, and I might not have any reason to freak out, but maybe it´s the real deal. I don´t know what sort of supernatural creature would leave her alive, or how could she have survived such an encounter, but it´s still a possibility I can´t ignore.

"Try me."

"...You aren´t from this city, then. You should know the bare details, if you were." she sucked in a breath, and released it. It made me want to hug her, caresses her hair, tell her everything would be all right and she didn´t need to worry about anything anymore. It was... not right. None of this was. To right these wrongs. That´s the reason I am chasing after my father´s ideal, not because it was what he left for me in his last moment. I just can´t stand to see anybody suffering.

"No, I am not."

"I see. Well, that makes it easier, at least." Before I can ask what she means, she takes out something from her pocket. An oval shaped gem, with a shining red color. I don´t know why exactly as she took it out, but I can felt great magical energy coming from it. Whatever had happened to her had to do with real magic, then.

"Stop that." I said. She only huffed. "Look at me."

I extend my left hand forward, so she can see clearly see it.

"What are you doing?"I smash the hammer in my head down, making my magical energy flare up inside of me. The heat and the pain have stopped being a brother for a long time. Yang sword Kanshou forms in my right hand. The eight steps are put together perfectly in a matter of seconds. "How..:! But you didn´t use it! A-and you aren´t even a girl!"

I don´t know what she means by that, or what my gender would have to do with anything, but that can wait. I dispel Kanshou, making the steel blade vanish without a trance.

"Can I listen to your story now?"

She only nods, numbly. She sits back down, and I sit next to her, under the bridge. I look at her. She is looking down, without saying anything. It´s fine. She needs the time to straighten her thoughts, especially because I gave her quite a surprise just now.

"Ah..." she slowly begins, her hands clasped together as if in prayer. "I... I, well. I a-am the daughter of a local priest. The people didn´t listen to his ideas. He tried his best, but the people only looked down on him and ridiculed him. He was a really kid, maybe too kid. Every morning reading the newspaper, the worries of the world brought it to tears. One day an animal suddenly appeared to me. Sort of like a cat, actually, except it wasn´t. And it talked. It said it would grant me a wish in exchange for becoming a magical girl..."

A wish in exchanged for power. That was too good to be true. The only question is what the catch was.

"So I wished people would listen to me father, that they would give him the chance he deserved. It happened. The very next day, his church, which was empty since a long time, was full to the brink with people. In exchange for that, I had to go and use my powers to fight these... things. Kyubei." Oh. I almost mistake the name, for a second. It´s almost the same, but does have it´s differences. Kyu... it can meant nine. Might just a coincidence, but I didn´t like the implications. "Ah, it´s the name of that cat like creature. Anyway. It calls them Witches. It already told me before I made the contract, by the way. I just realized it can be interpreted like that, and well. It really wasn´t so bad, at the beginning. I believed my father and me could change the world together. Hell, I admit it was happy. How could I not be? I got a badass suit, a spear, I could use illusions like I was some anime character and I fought to protect the world itself. I was a real life superhero."

Oh. That last sentence felt like a punch to the gut. Now I a can see where she was coming from. Certainly, if such a contract had be proposed to me anytime before the Grail War, I would have taken it. It wouldn´t have even mattered to me that there would be some sort of catch involved, as long as it was the only one who would bear with the repercussions of it. Of course, if I even managed to figure out there would be catch, in the first place. Which wasn´t all that likely, to be honest.

"And then..." I subconsciously lean forward, trying to find an appropriate response. If she starts to cry, I... "He found. My father. And he wasn´t happy about it. He called me a witch who tempted men´s souls, and _snapped_. He didn´t do anything after that, despite his anger, but during the next few days he seemed lifeless, like a puppet. He preached without passion and the worshipers responded to his words, like always, because that´s all they could do. One night, he got drunk and killed my mum, my sister and tried to kill me. Then he hanged himself. Only I was left alive, and only because of the regeneration this t-thing, the Soul Gem, gives me."

I don´t have any words for that. I have see many awful things, but this was one of the worst. I mean... shit. I can´t even imagine what she was going through right now, and it must have been only a few days since that happened. At least, that´s what I think because of her previous comment. I put a hand on her shoulder. Just a hand. I don´t think she would be comfortable if I gave her a hug. I try hard hard to ignore the implications of her words, and concentrate on being there for her, if she needed it.

"T-that´s it. Now, tell me how the fuck you did that before." she says, but she doesn´t complain about what a did. Well. That was some progress, I suppose.

"Magic." I drily answer, trying to lighten the atmosphere a little bit. I thought about chastising her for her language, but I don´t think she appreciate that at all.

"I get that already!" she snapped back, crossing her arms beneath her none existent chest. Okay. I am terrible at this joking thing. "I just don´t get how you could possibly do it when you are a man, and you didn´t even transform or anything."

"Transform?"

"Yeah, you know. Transform. I am pretty sure that, even at your age, there was Magical Girl anime." she had said that. She really had just said that. God. I am not even sure of to respond to that shit. It´s fucking ridiculous. I imagined this tiny girl fighting nightmarish monstrosities in a frilly, far too sexualized dress and a ridiculous pink wand.

"Okayyyyy. Leaving that aside, just think about it. Do you really think this Kyubei is the only one who can use magic naturally?"

"...Oh."

"We magi are plenty, but we hid for normal society. It has to do with that, well, it wouldn´t be smart to reveal ourselves to the masses since most would react badly. To say the least." I had been about to say 'like you father', but thankfully realized it before I could screw up so badly. "It also has to with the principles of magecraft, as of itself. The more people know about a mis-about a spell, the weaker it gets. Spreading around the truth doesn´t do any good for us, in either case. Anyway. What I did is called Projection. It´s used to create something out of the user´s magical energy. I don´t know if there´s an equivalent for you..."

"No. Puella Magi can only use one thing born out of what they wished for. I asked for people to listen to my father, so I got the power of illusions. That´s as far as I can go." It made sense, for what I know. For what little information I got of it-if it´s even an it, in the first place- I can´t say that I know of it, butt it´s existence is not exactly special. There are all sorts of creature who concede a wish for a price, and instead of being that, Kyubei could simply be a magi´s familiar that was leading girls to fight, out of all of people, against creatures for some purpose, grating them Mystic Codes who could be interpreted as fitting their wish. I don´t have an idea of what purpose would be, though, aside from a sense of sick amusement. If these Witches were a serious threat, the magus would enlist the help of somebody who could actually do something about it. All it all, this situation didn´t make much sense. I need more information.

"I see. Do you have anywhere to go?" I ask, suddenly changing the topic, just to be sure. I can´t imagine why she would be out here, under a bridge, if she had some place to go, but I felt that it would be rude to not ask. Instead of answering, the girl clammed up. I took me a moment to realize why. Should have guessed. Maybe it had only been a few days, or even a week since it happened, but this girl was alone, desperate and with magical powers. It wouldn´t be hard to rob a few places from money, and use it to rend a room with the excuse that it was the money her family left her or something like that.

"...I have a place in a local hotel." she answers, her head slightly held down.

"I don´t care that you have stolen, okay? I am not going to judge you. Is not your fault. None of this is."

"R-really?"

"Of course. That´s not why I asked you, anyway. In any case. If you have more questions about magecraft, then please leave then for later." I say, and kneel in front of her. "Do you want to come with me?"

"...What do you meant?"

"I meant that if you want to be adopted by me." the girl seems speechless. Not only out of the actual offer, but probably also because I have not even asked her name yet. Which is rather rude. Should rectify that shortly. "I am not gonna lie. I am not exactly material for father of the year. I am not terribly good with kids, and I constantly move around the world, so you will not ever have a place to settle down if you follow me. But I care about you, and I will make sure you can be happy."

She doesn´t answer.

"You don´t have to felt pressure into it. If you don´t want to come with me, I just make sure a good person adopts you or I ask a friend of mine to take care of you. She is not like me. She doesn´t go wandering around the world or anything, so you probably be better off with her. Anyway. I just want to heard what you want. I won´t leave you alone no matter what happens, though."

"...Can I?" she asks, after a few seconds of silence. "Can I come with you?"

"Of course." I answer, putting on my best smile. Then I take off my coat and give it to her. It´s obviously too big for her, but she takes it and puts it on. After that, I take off my scraf and carefully wrap it around her neck, making sure she is well covered. She brings her hands up to it to touch it, with a strange expression on her face. "I know it´s not much. Your clothes are still soaked, so you could easily catch a cold, but I think it do for now."

"It´s warm." she shyly breathes ut. "Thank you."

I extend my hand towards her.

"Let´s go." I call out to her.

Her face lights up. She grabs my hand, and squeezes it.


	2. Spiral

**Chapter 2**

 _Spiral_

(Beta: luckychaos)

Her name was Kyoko Sakura. She told me so when I asked her on the way. Of course, I also gave her my name. That was a better thing to focus on about the whole experience that the odd looks we were getting. I should have expected that, considering that a completely-drenched teenage girl and a dangerous-looking man in his early thirties was not exactly a normal pair, but I had quite honestly never considered that. Thankfully, nobody called the police or anything, though I suspect that had more to do with how happy Kyoko looked about the whole thing than anything else.

We reached the hotel I was staying in about an hour, without any stops. Didn't have a watch on me, never had, so I couldn't be sure. Maybe I should get one of those things. Anyway. Thankfully, the man behind the counter didn't give us more that a single glance. Didn't even ask me if she was my daughter, or something. We got in the elevator and up to the third floor, where my room was. It probably wasn't any better than the room she had before, which was honestly a bit embarrassing, but at least it was something. I shook my head, and locked the door. Then I turned toward Kyoko. She took off the coat, and threw it over the bed.

"There's a shower over there, if you want to use it." I said, pointing at it. "I don't have girl's clothes, so you will have to do with my own for now. They will be a bit loose for you, but it's not like you will have to go out of here with those clothes. First thing in the morning, when your clothes dry up, we'll go buy you some clothes."

"Fine. Thanks." she mumbled, as she made her way to the shower.

I sat down on the bed. She entered, closed the door behind her, and locked it. A moment later, I heard the sound of her clothes hitting the floor. Man. Sometimes, reinforced hearing was really inconvenient. I felt like asshole, like I'm not giving her privacy. I stared out of the window, thinking over our conversation under the bridge. About that Kyubei creature, and her role as a Puella Magi. And also, most of all, about what I should do about it now.

"Emiya-san?" she called out to me, sort of awkwardly, her voice mixing with the sound of running water.

"Shirou is fine."

"Ah, then. Shirou... I..."

"What is it?" I stood up, taking a few steps forward and stopping. "Do you need anything?"

"No, no, I'm fine. I just... I want to ask you something. Why would you do this? Why do you care about some stranger like me?" she said. I put my back against the wall, and cross my arms.

"I can't stand seeing anybody cry. That's it; there's no deeper motive."

"But... it's not just that. Any normal, if kind person would have passed the burden to somebody else, no matter what kind of words they spewed. But you are going to take me in without question, even though it's obvious you have some kind of purpose which would only be hindered by me being here. You don´t even know if I am telling the truth about anything, and yet..."

"Okay. Listen." I closed my eyes, and leaned back, letting my body relax. "Twenty two years ago, I was caught in a big fire. Everything I ever had burned down around me. The place I lived my early years in, the people I knew, the houses I saw everyday. I don't know how I survived. Maybe I was just lucky, or my house was built on a lucky spot. Either way, I kept on walking through the fire, ignoring the dying people that reached out to me with their desperate screams, their trembling hands or even those just looking at me who couldn't even speak anymore. I ignored even the mothers who begged me to take their babies with me, and kept on walking. I lost more of myself as I walked. Hope, anger, sadness. My mind died so my body could survive. But not even that lasted long... My legs gave out on me, and I fell down, looking at the hazy sky above me."

It was hard to get those words out. Not because of myself, but because of her. It's kind of stupid. She had already told me what she went through, so this wasn't going to affect her much, if at all. But I couldn't help but feel that way. Besides, she really needed to heard it. Because she told me her past, and so she could understand me better.

"And then?" she asked, her voice lightly trembling. I doubted I would have heard it if I didn´t have reinforced hearing.

"I reached out to the skies for no reason. It wasn't for help. I just thought that the sky was a long way away. In what were supposed to be my last moments, that's what I thought. But when my hand fell, Kiritsugu, who became my adoptive father, grasped it. I still remember his face. He clenching my hands, then embracing me, crying out of happiness for being able to save one single person. I admired that, and I still do. I think it's a beautiful way to live. So, I can't ignore anybody. Regardless of what happens to me, I can't do such a thing."

"...I see."

"By the way, Sakura..." Matou Sakura's face flashed in my mind, for an instant. I miss her. I miss everybody, but out of all my friends I miss her the most. Occasionally talking with her on the phone or exchanging texts was just not the same thing. Especially after what happened to Ayako... I shook off those thoughts. That trail led to nowhere. I was running after that distant dream, so I couldn't turn around and look back again.

"Kyoko." she cut me off. "You can just call me Kyoko. You allowed me to call you Shirou and, in any case, you're going to adopt me. It's more proper this way, right?"

"Right, Kyoko. Can you tell me about Witches?"

"Oh, yeah. Of course. Well... the Soul Gem, that thing I pulled off when we meet, serves to track their barriers down. Our power also serves to enter them. The barriers are... uh, have you read Alice in Wonderland?"

"Yes." Hadn't particularly liked it, but I did end up reading it when I was a child. I still vaguely remembered it.

"Well, it's kind of like that, but for real. Space and time is twisted into some horrible caricature, and the laws of physics stop mattering. All the Witch Barriers are completely different. The Witches themselves, too. And their abilities. Familiars are there to defend their barriers but, somehow, they can gain independence and, upon consuming a few humans, turn into a full Witch. Witches, upon being killed, drop something Kyubei calls Grief Seeds. They're used to purify the Soul Gem, so the magical powers don't disappear." she suddenly trailed off, for about a minute. "Honestly, I don't even know what to say about them. The... The first Witch I fought was... kind of like, uh, a bear but... Ah, it's useless. I can´t really describe something like that."

"Their description doesn't really matter, since you said they aren't similar at all. The powers of the Witches you fought would be more useful, so I can see if there's some kind of connection. A description of their barriers would be useful, too." It was just a half-baked hope, but I might get something useful out it. It didn't matter even if I didn't, though. Soon enough I would make sure I got first hand experience.

"Okay, Shirou." she said. The rushing water stopped.

"You don't mind what clothes I give for now, right?" I said, standing up.

"E-eeh! No, of course not." I didn´t think she would mind, but well. Teenage girls these days are kinda sensitive to those kinds of things. I couldn't just assume it. I went to the closet, and opened it, grabbing the shirt of one of my pajamas. It was obviously too big for her, but at least it would cover her well. I grabbed a pair of pants that barely fit me anymore. It wouldn´t fit her too well either, but at least the belt would make sure it didn't fall off. I tugged them under my left arm, went to the door of the bathroom and knocked once. Faint footsteps from inside. I closed my eyes. I heard the door open a crack, grabbed the clothes with my right hand and extended it towards her. A moment later, I felt the small weight of the pajamas disappear from my hand. Kyoko didn't say anything, though.

When I heard the door close, I turned around, opened my eyes again and went back to sitting on the bed. In about a minute, I heard the sliding door again. I turned my head towards it, a bit curious despite myself. The clothes really didn't fit her, in any sense of the word. It was a simple blue shirt, along with the somewhat matching pants. They really didn't suit her. I didn't know why I thought so. Maybe it was because of the clothes I last saw her wearing. Yeah, it sure was that. Besides. The shirt was too big for her, to the point that it went past her waist. And the pants... well, she definitively couldn't walk around in that, in spite of the belt. I though it would fit her decently, in that sense, but... I was obviously wrong.

"I'm sorry. If you don't mind having me buying at least some clothes, then I can go out and buy some now."

"No, it's fine." she quickly replied, still holding up the pants with her hand. "It's not like I need to walk around with this, anyway. I'll be fine. I don't really want to waste energy by transforming now, so this had to do."

"Well, okay." I patted the side of the bed. I noticed that she was blushing. Uh. I didn't really understand. Maybe she was really bothered by it, but was too polite to say so. That's what I would have thought at first, but that girl was not really that polite. Maybe she had a fever, or something. Wouldn´t surprise me. She had been standing down there, under a bridge in the middle of winter in those summer clothes. It would've a wonder if she hadn't caught anything. "Could you tell me about it now, then?"

"Yeah, okay." she replied, and sat down next to me.

* * *

Kyoko talked about all her fights with the Witches during her first and only year as a Puella Magi, and described their Barriers as well as she could. I couldn't really see anything that connected them, besides the Barriers and their overall behavior. Also, the Barriers themselves seemed to have some sort of theme, disturbingly human-like in spite of their twisted appearance. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but that was what I thought. Aside from that, I had not gotten any closer to knowing their true nature. Well. If I had learned anything, it was that battle taught much more that anything else. I had to unravel the mysteries behind those creatures, their apparent Reality Marbles and Kyubei, the one who was apparently trying to wipe them off. I had to do it. I knew I had to do it.

For now, though, I had to concentrate on her. I prepared the food, and ate with her at the dinner table, trying to make her relax. Maybe it was futile. It had be so long since the fire, and I hadn't forgotten a single thing. I have only resolved to carry everything on my back, so all those people I couldn't save didn't disappear meaninglessly. If I couldn't change myself, maybe it was too much to think I could change that girl. But I had to at least try. What kind of hero would I be if I didn't do so?

"Seconds, Shirou." her voice brought me out of my thoughts. I lifted my head and saw that, sure enough, she had finished all the food I gave her in less that two minutes. Whoa, this girl eats like Saber. I felt myself smile. "W-what's with that look? It's only natural to eat what's put in front of you, right?"

"Right." I repeated, putting a hand on her head and softly patting her. She stopped in her tracks, her mouth half open, and blushed. "That's right, Kyoko. Well, I'll go get seconds now."

I stood up and went to the kitchen, leaving the spluttering teenager behind me.

* * *

She ate her second portion, and then a third. It was not much, but it made me happy to see her eat. It was something else that she didn't lack anymore, and that was simply wonderful. I had put her clothes below the heater, so by the time it was night and even the distant sounds of the cars beyond the building had mostly faded out, the clothes were already dry. I gave them to her, and she went to get changed in the bathroom. She stepped out of the bathroom, her vibrant crimson hair billowing behind her.

"Kyoko."

"What is it?"

"Let's look for one of those things now."

"Do we... Do we have to, really?"

"I can't stand to see anybody cry, Kyoko. I told you as much. I'm not asking you to come fight with me, just to lead me to one of them..."

"Wait, wait, wait!" she screamed, and crossed her arms beneath her chest. "That's not the problem. I'm not afraid. It's just... I didn't have any other choice, before you came along. I had to fight on to survive, because I needed to keep my powers. But now... sorry. I guess I am being selfish. I know you would disagree with it, but... It's just not worth it."

"What do you mean?"

"This... This saving people thing. You won't gain a single thing if you keep up like this, Shirou. I know that. I imposed my selfish happiness on everybody the moment I got the chance, and look how I ended up. How everything went to hell."

"That's right; your life went to hell because of that wish, but that's no reason to abandon yourself. That's life, you know. It's not fair. Nothing eternal exists. Everything is heading towards its destruction, and no matter how hard you try to change that you can only delay it. Fading away is inevitable." My eyes narrowed. "But still... it's beautiful. This world is beautiful. Maybe there's nothing at the end of it all, but I see nothing wrong in putting my life on the line for the sake of other people."

"Shirou..."

"I am sorry, though. Really, I am. This will cause you pain, but I can't turn around and look back again. To save everybody... it's an ideal I will hold on to up to my death." I said, trying to put it as well and as clearly as I can. She bit her lip, and drew blood. The faint red drop slowly drips down her chin... Well, so much for that. I drew her into a hug. She didn't resist.

"I don´t understand." she protested, on the verge of crying. "I understand it less than when you explained that, before. How... How can you be like this, even after something like that?"

"It's just how I am, Kyoko. Don't cry."

"Stupid! Who is crying!" she sounded outraged, but still, she didn't pull away.

* * *

We stayed like that for a few minutes. After Kyoko calmed down, we got out of the hotel. I looked around to see if there was anybody, confirmed the space was clear, grabbed her by the waist like she weighted nothing and then, putting magical energy in my legs, jumped. I covered ten meters up in an instant, landing on the top of the building without any problem. Kyoko's scream of panic wasn't so good, though. I should have thought about that first. I debate about how it would be best to apologize to her with myself.

"Warn me next time, you asshole." she breathed out heavily, after I set her down.

"Sorry, sorry." I lifted my arms to the sides, as if submitting to her. "I honestly didn't even think about it. But let's leave that aside. It's not the time for that. Tell me, can you keep up with me?"

"I can." she dusted herself off, and took out that thing that she called a Soul Gem. A flash of red light blinded me. It was over in an instant. When the light dissipated, she was still standing there, but she was completely different. Dark red boots, red dress, with a red jewel shining just over her chest. But more importantly, she suddenly had a spear clenched in her right hand. I search, analyze and store it automatically in my Reality Marble. The spear was not a special weapon. It didn't have a great history, and it lacked magical capabilities. It seemed that all that made it dangerous came from Kyoko's abilities in both armed combat and magic. "Let's go, Shirou."

Then, she jumped. She reached the next building, slightly higher than the hotel, without problem. I knew without needing to be told that she had done so to prove she had no problem keeping up with me. I smiled. Despite of her awful situation, her precociousness and, well, everything, she was unexpectedly childish. I jumped after her.

* * *

We entered a warehouse. I turned on the lights, and closed the door behind us. I didn't have whatever powers that creature granted Sakura, but I could feel a distortion now. It made me remember Rider's Bounded Field, Blood Fort Andromeda. This time, I didn't smell sweet honey but, strangely, fresh water. I shook off those thoughts. There was no point in concentrating on the smell, since I already knew what was behind it. A Barrier in which countless innocent people had disappeared. Such a thing... I had to destroy it with my own hands. Kyoko led me to a wall. When she touched it with her hand, space distorted in a circle. A swirling vortex of red energy replaced the normal wall. So that was it.

"I'm going now, Kyoko. Stand back." I said, and take a step forward. She grabbed me by the sleeve of my cloak, made out of a Holy Shroud, and I stopped in my tracks. "What is it?"

"Are you stupid?! Do you think I could just leave you behind?"

"But..." I didn't know how to answer. Giving her reaction to my proposal, I didn't think she would want to fight, so I hadn't though of anything to convince her otherwise. Should have known, dammit.

"I couldn't stand that, Shirou. You should know that."

"But you are..."

"Don't you dare say that!" she screamed, seriously pissed off. "I stopped being a kid already, and nothing you do can change that. Besides, there's no logical reason to leave me behind. No matter how good you are, you need somebody to watch your back, right? At the very least, it would hurt. Also, as far as fighting Witches goes, I'm far more experienced than you."

"That's..." I sighed. I had always been dealing with difficult women, so I knew when to accept that I had been defeated. There was no point in arguing about this anymore. "Fine, you can come."

She took a step forward, and disappeared behind the vortex. I followed her. And that instant... the world crumbled apart around me. Space and time was twisted. The warehouse faded away, leaving a blank space swirling like a vortex in front of me, producing a strange, nauseating sense of dislocation that made me want to pass out. I forcefully suppressed. The colorless space settled down in about a minute, but that didn't make it any better. Darkness extended all around around me, but visible, broken only by a labyrinth of thorns that twisted inwardly like a serpent, and strange creatures from somewhere in front of us. I took a step forward. Instead of the distance decreasing, the creatures grew farther apart. There was no sense of distance in this strange world. There was no sense of life in my surroundings. The plants and the creatures in the distance were only strange, twisted parodies of life. There was no sense of reality, at all.

Putting those things aside, I quickly and perfectly put together the eight steps. The peerless, twin steel words made by a blacksmith couple formed in my clenched hands. Yang sword Kanshou, Yin sword Bakuya. The blades I saw before I even begun to realize my true abilities, back during the Fifth Holy Grail War. Archer's signature swords. They had no special abilities, but they were strong swords. No matter what awaited me here, they could and would surpass it. The creatures started to move. There were too many to attempt to follow, so I just tensed and prepared to deal with a sudden attack. I still couldn't quite believe I was seeing this for real, despite the many strange things that had happened to me, but it was at least clear that I could't let me guard down. The things started chanting something in a language I couldn't identify. There were three words, endlessly repeated. I realized that because of the sounds, but I had not a clue of what they meant. Or if it was even relevant.

"You are right. This is kind of like Alice In Wonderland." I said out of loud, to distract myself from all the incomprehensible things that had happened in the last minute. The Witch of this Barrier must have been in the center of the labyrinth, but I couldn't really assume logic would have anything to do with this place. It certainly hadn't yet. "Where do we go from here?"

"To the center." Kyoko quickly replied, and broke into a run. I took a moment observing her, instead of catching up to her. She was fast, really fast. No amount of physical training would make a human that fast, and it was apparently something natural to the transformed state. To being a Puella Magi. Still, I was far from a normal human as well. I took a deep breath, and ran. I soon caught up with her. I could have overtook her without much effort, but she was my guide here. Even if the path was straight, it could've changed in instant, and then I would've been completely lost. It vexed me, but until proven otherwise I need her to put herself in danger so I could deal with those creatures. I will do my best to make sure she didn't get hurt, and she had already survived a year against those things. She was not a child. But still, it was hard to deal with something like that. I couldn't help it. It was just how I was.

In the middle of the way, I noticed it because of that. What some have boiled down to killing intent, and the Servant System had called Eye Of The Mind. Simply instinct anybody can gain through training. The only way I was capable of making my way through the countless battles of the past twenty years, managing to surpass enemies of superior skill and strength. A change in the tune of the chanting, the sounds of the moving familiars and the crack it had made that indicated that something had took impulse and jumped. All of it served as the signal. I turned around, and threw Bakuya at the approaching enemy.

"What...!" The thing´s head popped out of the bushes, and Sakura's startled cry was drowned out by the sound of it's neck being decapitated by Bakuya, and the gushing of strange, blue-ish blood. Bakuya's edge was lightly coated by it as it spun back towards Kanshou. I grabbed it with my free hand without looking back. "How the fuck did you do that?"

"No time, I'll explain later." I said as I kept running.

We soon reached the center of the maze. In it, there was a creature. That... well. I honestly thought that Kyoko's inability to describe those things was because she was still a child, but yeah, they were really weird. The one before us was sort of like a bonfire, now that I thought about it. The details fit. Except it had been turned upside down, and between a small structure on the top of it there was a writhing, obviously living thing that reminds me of those dolls the Americans made for Bonfire Night of that person. Guy Fawkes, or something like that. It seems to be stuck in place, so this should be easy.

"So what else can you do, Shirou?" Kyoko dryly asked me, looking over her shoulder. Instead of answering, I threw them. I charged the swords to the brink with magical energy, and I threw them from both sides. Targeting the enemy's neck. The swords had no special abilities, but they were strong. They could even stand up against Saber's Excalibur. The moment they connected, the thing was dead...

One of those strange familiars jumped, riding some sort of twisted horse, and took the hit. Kanshou buried itself in the familiar's body, flinging it like a rag doll against the ground. As it hit the ground, it vanished, leaving Kanshou in the ground. Bakuya was unaffected by the sudden interference, but they were married blades. They would always seek each other. So, because Kanshou was on the ground, Bakuya changed direction and buried itself at it's side. I clicked my tongue, and projected them again.

More and more creatures jumped inside, riding horses, that chanting still continuing but now periodically broken up by child-like laughter. In an instant, the Witch was protected by a wall of familiars. No matter. Kanshou had not gone that deep inside that creature's flesh, and yet it had disappeared. Even thousands of those things would be nothing. I took a deep breath, and prepared myself to explode into action.

Kyoko took the lead, though. Despite the situation, I observed her without moving. She must have been capable of handling those things by herself to have survived for a whole year, so I didn't feel feel scared by letting her fight by herself. Even so, I had been far for comfortable with it. But there was no danger. If I noticed she was getting overwhelmed, I would intervene immediately. But she did indeed have that ability, as she quickly showed me. She expertly waved between the rushing familiars, twirling her spear at all angles, the sharp stinger-like point batting them away and destroying them. They far outnumbered her, and they were coming at her from all sides, but she didn't seem overwhelmed. Good. If she couldn't do that much, I wouldn't let her follow me into one of those things anymore, no matter what she said. After all, I already considering the possibility that she survived a year as a Puella Magi just because she didn't fight that much. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. The only thing that confused me was that her attacks were purely physical. She had talked about having the power of illusions, but she wasn't using it at all. Well, not like she needed it the way she was. Still, I decided to ask her later about it.

Now it was time to kill the Witch.

I broke into a run. Some of the familiars which were trying to dog-pile Sakura moved away from her and rushed at me. But even at a rush their speed was trifling. They couldn't possibly stop me ending it all in the next minute. The head of the Witch moved towards me, recognizing me as a threat yet again. It spat great, roaring fireballs out of the circular darkness it had for eyes. I stepped to the side, ducking my head. It hit the ground behind me and exploded. The force of the explosion didn't even reach me. I charged the swords to the brink with my magical energy.

" _Divine skill, flawless and firm._ " I called out, and then threw them.

The Crane Wing Three Realm was unnecessary now, but I wasn't going to use it. Each verse of the chant served to reinforced the sword's already impressive qualities. Calling out the whole chant, Kanshou and Bakuya would probably be able to deal with even a Servant. The twin steel swords cut through the air in an instant, and sliced the Witch's head off. The head went flying, impacting the ground and exploded. The smoke soon dissipated, revealing some crawling things, vaguely like spiders. As they crawled on the ground, they left a trail of fire. I didn't care. In mid-run, I grabbed the Kanshou and Bakuya that had been left buried in the ground, amassing my strength and releasing it. I covered ten meters up in instant, ending up right in front of the empty space the head had left.

" _Strength moves mountains_." As I said the second verse, I overcharged the twin steel swords with magical energy, with far more than they could handle, turning them into Broken Phantasms. They buried themselves through it's chest, and then exploded. The explosion threw me back to the ground. I couldn't manage to keep my balance, so I hit the ground hard, losing my breath. My vision was lost in the great white light created by the explosion for an instant.

I looked up just in time to watch its death. The huge, headless doll of hay fell down as the structure that had been holding it together shattered, then hit the ground and broke upon impact. Those strange, crawling creatures spread all over it's corpse. Then the world around me twisted, swirled and then whited out. In the next instant, we were standing again in that warehouse, like nothing had happened. Something fell down on the ground in front of me, bounced, hit the ground again and rolled until the wall made it come to a stop. Kyoko was there by my side, breathing a bit unevenly but completely unharmed. I took a few steps forward, picked it up and closely examined it.

I could feel a considerable magical energy coming from it. It was somewhat similar to a Soul Gem, or at least to Kyoko's Soul Gem, except that it was smaller, has a tip lean and sharp as a scorpion's stinger and dark-looking energy was burning at the center. There was also an image in that center, nearly obscured by the energy. Some sort of archway. If it was a real place, I couldn't recognize it. I couldn't tell anything else, not that it had to do with anything beyond what I had already heard from Sakura.

"Hey, give me that, Shirou. I didn't use much energy today, but every Grief Seed is important." Kyoko said. I stopped turning it in my hand, and considered it. She had just said that it wasn't necessary, so it really wouldn't be a problem for me to hold onto it. I only had a half-sketched plan, but hopefully Tohsaka would extract something more than I could from this thing and give some direction. There was a danger to it, since it could've involved the Clock Tower, and if they learned about Puella Magi... Honestly, I didn't even want to think about it. But still, it was a good move, and one of the few possibilities I had at that point. Tohsaka was in London. It wouldn't take her much to get here, and as long as Kyoko didn't use any magic it would be all right.

"Do you mind if I hold on to this for a bit?"

"Eh? No, not really. But why?"

"I want to get to the bottom of this whole mess, so I need some time to examine this thing." I answered, only semi-honestly. "How does this work?"

"Well, I don't know how it works, exactly, but it absorbs the stain of the Soul Gem."

"I see." I said, and put it in a pocket. This was it, then. I saw the truth of it with my own eyes, killed a Witch and acquired what might be a key to revealing the mystery behind these strange creatures and the existence of Puella Magi. There was nowhere I could go on my own anymore. So, only one possibility remained. The only one who can lead me to the truth behind everything, the reason for such absurd thing.

I had to get it all out of that creature called Kyubei.


	3. Face To Face

**Chapter 3**

 _Face To Face_

(beta: luckychaos)

We soon got back to the hotel. The Witch Hunt had not lasted that long, so it was only two in the morning when we returned. There was only one bed, so I left it to Kyoko, grabbing a pillow and a mattress, then settling myself down on the floor next to the bed. I slept better that way, so the change was welcome. I had no dreams. At least, not that I could remember. Not even about Saber. It was one of those rare nights were I could actually sleep soundly. It was weird that it came after all that happened, but oh well. Better now that never. To be prepared for what's to come I needed to sleep well.

Despite myself, I woke up rather late. Instead of at seven, I woke up at nine. A whole two hours late. Not like I needed to go to school, or have something urgent to do, but it was a matter of principle. It kind of bothered me, even though I damn well knew I needed those extra two hours. And, honestly, an hour or two more wouldn't have hurt at all. It was just... it bothered me. I kept thinking that maybe there was something I could have intervened on if I got up when I should have, and it really bothered me. It was just how I was.

Ah. I sighed, and sat up. I looked towards the bed, a bit curious. Sakura was sprawled on the bed, lightly snoring. She was really cute. Almost like having a li... I pushed those thoughts away easily. They were thoughts used to being pushed aside. I had accepted to carry the weight of all the memories that meaninglessly disappeared because I couldn't do anything, but still I didn't want to remember such a thing at that moment. I just didn't. It had been so _sudden_ , and so _horrible_ that I felt empty like back in the fire, that I felt like I was dying once again. I remember my final actions, reaching out with my powerless hands towards the sky because it was a long way away. That was exactly what it was like now.

I turned around and headed directly to the kitchen. I could deal with that on my own time, if I could ever deat with something like that. But the scars that were left in my heart didn't matter right then. I still had things to do before I could allow myself to rest, and now I had somebody besides me since... since that happened. I could let the past chain me and make me falter. I failed once before. Worse of all, I didn't even know I had something to do before it all went to hell. But now I knew what I had to do. So I would absolutely protect that small girl who was relying on me.

Whistling a tune to try to get a little cheerful, I started cooking.

* * *

When I had it all finished, I heard the shuffling of the sheets, a yawn and the squeaking of the bed. Sakura had woken up. I took the two plates of food, and brought them to the dinner table. On the way, I saw her stretching to wake herself up out of the corner of my eye. Even thought it kind of reminded me of her, I have to admit it was really cute. I put down the plates of the table. Sakura went past me, muttering 'Good morning', and entered the bathroom. I heard the water running a second later. While she washed her face, I sat down and waited for her, trying to think less about _that_ and more about my next move.

Kyubei. Tracking it down was the only viable move, but the problem was that I didn't have any reliable way to do so. It's mission was apparently to spread Puella Magi, so they would fight and destroy Witches in exchange for keeping their powers. On the surface, at least. I didn't think it was that simple. But anyway, that creature could be anywhere in the world. I didn't even have a place to start. Waiting for it to come to Sakura so I could surprise it wasn't an option, either. There was no reason for that thing to come back once I had already roped some poor girl into a contract. Damn. I should have really thought that through. The only sure way was to involve the Clock Tower, but that wasn't even an option. Clearly, I had to do something to draw that thing's attention, but what could I do?

A sliding sound. I looked up, and saw Kyoko getting out of the room bathroom, looking more or less awake. It reminded me of Rin more than anything else. She dragged herself to the kitchen table, and sat down in front of me. She took the chopsticks, and lazily poked the rice with them. Her asleep expression made me think it would be fun to startle her, just to see what kind of expression she would make, but I decided against it. Now that I thought about it...

"Hey, Kyoko."

"W-What?" she froze, with the chopsticks halfway to her mouth.

"Do you have any way to contact Kyubei?"

"Uh, yes, actually." she said. I hadn't expected that, honestly. I couldn't believe there would be something so convenient, but I sure as hell wasn't going to complain about it. "It taught me telepathy after I first transformed. But there are limits. No sure what they are, but it told me so. I can't say I can get in contact with it for sure. That aside, why?"

"I already told you at the warehouse, Sakura. I want to get to the bottom of this. Would there be a better way than to investigate the one who started this mess in the first place?"

"Well, that´s true... I guess."

"If you do manage to get in contact, tell it you want to meet it in person. I don´t care about the localization or the time, so let it choose if it wants to. If it asks for a meeting place and the time, though, just tell it at the docks at night. Choose whatever hour you want, doesn't matter. When Kyubei asks why you want to meet it, tell it that you need answers. Don't elaborate, no matter how much it asks you to."

"I don't really understand, but okay." She took a deep breath, and closed her eyes. It didn't take her long to stiffen. I knew without needing to be told what that meant; she got it. I watched her. About a minute later, she forced herself to relax and opened her eyes again. Her expression was serious, almost fierce.

"How did it go?" I asked, even though I was sure she managed to do it.

"It says it will go at there at eleven o'clock at night. I'm no sure it intends to do it for real, but... At least it said so. I don't think it has a reason to suspect anything."

"Good." I said, nodding. "But that's still to come, Kyoko. Let's eat for now. We can think about it later."

* * *

Nearly half a day later, when the clock struck half past ten, I prepared. I took my red cloak made out of a holy shroud, granted to me by Caren Ortensia, and put it on. Then I reinforced my body. The process didn't take long. Practice and time had turned it into something that lasted less that a minute, when so many years ago I couldn't even consistently reinforce an iron pipe, let alone my own body. I looked out of the window. It didn't take long for me to get distracted by my own reflection. The resemblance between me and him was obvious. Rin would have a heart attack if she saw me like this.

My hair had completely turned white not too long ago because of the strain of projection. I was as tall as him, my face was the same as his when I got serious, the eyes the same color, the overcoat made out a holy shroud that I was wearing. And, of course, my projection abilities. It was all the same. I realized the truth of Archer's identity the moment I was granted the shroud. It felt like a punch to the gut, and at the same time I was indescribably happy. Heroic Spirit Emiya... looking back on it, I should have realized it sooner. Because of his words at the castle.

 _Do not forget. What you must imagine is always that you yourself are the strongest. You do not need outside enemies. For you, the one you have to fight is none other than your own image._

He was guiding me towards Projection, towards the basic principle of our ability. I should have realized it sooner, but I hadn't thought there would be such a ridiculous thing. In the first place, I had thought that there couldn't be anyone who could ascend to the Throne of Heroes in the modern age. I didn't know how he managed it, but the proof was staring back at me. Emiya Shirou was a superhero who carved a legend even in the modern age, and became a Heroic Spirit. I knew that he was not necessarily me, that he was just a version of me from somewhere in the Kaleidoscope, but still, it was awe inspiring and uplifting to know that I became what I always wanted to be. I would follow that path and get where he was, certainly. I pushed myself forward so much because Archer's back and Saber's back were still distant. Following what they left me, I would eventually reach that same place.

"Shirou?" Kyoko shyly called out. "What´s wrong?"

"Nothing." I closed my eyes. "Nothing at all."

The past was the past. If I want to be called a hero, I had to look forward. The time had been reached already, so I had to concentrate. That was right. The image that I was the strongest... I engraved those words into my heart once again. I had to face Kyubei. Maybe that thing, and whatever was behind it, if there was anything behind it, had good intentions. The Witches were an obvious threat to everybody, so... But still. Their methods were completely wrong. The burden to fight should be taken by those who were prepared for it. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes.

"Let's go."

* * *

Kyoko took a step forward, putting herself at the edge of the docks. The cold, northern wind blew her hair back, but she didn't particularly care. Her mind was preoccupied with something else. Shirou. The man who saved her from the life she was leading, and would lead up to her death. Right before they went to meet Kyubei, he had stared out of the window with a complicated expression that made her really nervous. It was made out of pain, with a certain sadness and longing, but it was also determined. It made her understand that she didn't understand him at all.

It was only natural. They hadn't been together for even two days, and their conversations had been few. Sometimes she hadn't even understood her family, and she had lived with them for most of her life. But, it still vexed her. No, more than that. It made her feel... alone. Yeah, that was what it was. Alone. Like the distance between them was not a meter, but the whole world.

It couldn't be helped. He had told her that much, at that time. That he couldn't stand to see anybody cry. That he wanted to become a hero who could save everybody. His gaze was not fixed on her, but on a distant, faraway dream, brilliant and ephemeral like an illusion. Or perhaps a disillusion. That was his dream, his ideals. She didn't have the right to take anything away from him, since he was giving her everything without compensation. He didn't even want her to risk her life anymore. So, she didn't have the right... But it really couldn't be helped. Emotions rarely had anything to do with logic. She wanted him to throw that dream away and look only at her, but she could never allow herself to voice such a selfish thing. Being by his side, supporting him, should be enough for her.

She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to get distracted. Shirou was out of there, somewhere where he would overlook their meeting, and he was counting on her. She couldn't let him down. A strange sound. She whipped her head back, and saw Kyubei advancing towards her from behind, that same serene, fixed smile on his pale white face.

I heard something strange, then I saw her move suddenly, as if startled. I saw the creature only a moment after she did. The creature was unlike anything I had ever seen before, or heard about. It was sort of like a cat, like Kyoko said, but not really. The big, red eyes shining like rubies. Its tail, and the strange symbol on it's back. Its movements were strange, like some sort of living doll. That thing was something inhuman created by inhuman things, without a doubt.

"So what is it, Kyoko?" it said. It's voice was sickeningly cute, and disturbingly artificial. "You were quite rude, so I was concerned. Do you need anything? Have you regretted your wish, and now you want to change it? I am afraid I can't do that."

I gripped Kanshou and Bakuya tighter, my knuckles turning white. Damn it. That thing was shoving in her face what her wish had ended up at not too long ago, without a care. I was planning on waiting if it would say something else after it appeared, but I couldn't bring myself to wait anymore. I threw them towards it. It would be over before it even realized it. I watched as the twin steel swords buried themselves in it's flesh, flinging its body back like a rag doll and pinning it to the wall. Its startled cry and Sakura's own cry were mixed with the heavy sound of steel.

At that moment, I jumped. The inhuman action left only cracks in the ground. I covered the distance of ten meters in an instant, and landed expertly in a crouch on the ground between them, without losing my breath. I stood up, looming over the pinned creature. I clenched my hands into fists, and project the twin steel swords. Sakura stepped up, but she didn't say anything. It surprised me. I thought that, even if she survived a year as a Puella Magi, she would only be accustomed to fighting monsters. I thought that she would think that, as far as she knew, Kyubei had not done anything bad, so my actions were unnecessary cruel. But it seemed like she understood that it was necessary.

"Who are you?" the creature asked, without a care for its wounds. Ten. Yeah, maybe that had been right after all.

"The one who needs answers." I curtly replied. "And now you will give them to me. Who are you really? What exactly is your purpose?"

"I am messenger of magic..."

"I am not some child. I forgive you this time, though. It's clear you are unaccustomed to this, so I let you can't fool me by pretending to be like a mascot for a Magical Girl anime." My hands are shaking. I can´t help it. I telling myself that I can´t do this, that to dealt with this mess I need to be calm, but it just can´t do it while looking at the thing which had fooled Sakura into a contract and ruined her life. Its just not possible because I know that not only it had done that, but that Sakura was far for the first girl that happened to and wouldn´t be the last as far as it was concerned.

"But it´s true I am a messenger of magic. What else could you call me? As for my purpose... I am doing this for the sake of the universe." Universe, it said. Not world, but universe. That´s ridiculous. The Witches sure are dangerous, but only because they could and would kill innocent people and sinners alike without rime or reason, without nobody ever knowing about it. They were not a large scale threat at all. If a Witch ever caused such an accident, the Counter Guardians would be dispatched to tear it apart. Even if all Witch currently existing in this world lashed out to humanity, they couldn´t stand up against the Counter Guardians. Many lives would be lost. An apocalypse. But that only meant that even at their worst Witches couldn´t completely destroy this small world, let alone the universe.

"...What do you meant?"

"What I said."

"That´s bull..." I stop in my tracks. An unbelievable idea crossed through my mind suddenly, like a shooting star. It´s truly an unbelievable idea, but it makes sense. I think about the Grief Seed´s and the Soul Gems, the whole Witch Hunt as of itself and the terms of the contract. I lose my breath for an instant. "You are gathering energy, for... I don´t know. To stop something dangerous, if you are telling the truth."

"Oh! I don´t know how you came to that conclusion, but it seems you are really smart. That´s right. This all is to stop something dangerous to the universe. Entropy itself." it´s words bring me to a halt. It´s only natural. It is talking about stopping entropy. That´s crazy. That´s going against the world, and it´s not even a metaphor.

"I don´t understand. How could this..." No, no, that´s not it. It´s wording confused me. It said it was in order to stop entropy, but that would be absurd. In any case, I can´t see how such a fundamental law could be changed with merely an outrageous amount of energy that would rival the Holy Grail. No, the purpose of gathering energy was not to stop it but to prolong it. If the universe was given more energy, the heat death of the universe would last more. It´s simple, but it could theoretically work. "Ah, I see."

Somehow, though, I don´t think it was the full answer. Far for it.

"Are you alone?" I ask it.

It stayed silent.

"Fine." I couldn't press the issue. I had nothing to hold over it, since it was clear it didn't care about its own death. I could ask all I wanted, and hope its words would provide me with enough information. For now, anyway. "What are Witches?"

"Evil beings that spread curses." I grip the swords tighter at it´s response. I know. I don´t know how I know it, but I have got the feeling that it´s not telling the whole truth. It is just handing me the information it´s allowed to give. There was something more hidden behind the existence of the Witches. Something inconvenient for me to know.

"And the Grief Seeds?"

"A Witch´s egg. It serves to purify Soul Gems. I though Kyoko would have told you as much already." Each of it´s words was as good as a confirmation.

"Fine. What´s the Soul Gem?" I have been wondering about that since I heard the name. An object shining with energy with soul in it´s name, created after making a contract... well, it didn´t sound good at all. Besides, this was also a test, just to confirm it wouldn´t tell me anything else.

"Kyoko didn´t tell you anything, or what? Okay, okay. It´s the source of the Power of the Puella Magi. Now, can I ask you something myself?" I was about to kill it, but it´s question makes me pause.

"Go ahead."

"I can felt magic of some sort from you, and these swords are certainty not normal. So how are you doing this? Earth wasn´t suppose to have mages."

"You know well what´s hidden in the moonlit world."

"The moonlit world? I don´t understand."

"... So you really don´t know." I frowned. That's... not what I expected, at all. It made me reconsider my thoughts about them. I saw them as obviously evil because of what happened with Kyoko's contract, but maybe... no. Even if they had some good intentions, Kyubei had to end right here. I... No, we had become a threat. So I had to stop things in its tracks before the consequences would get back to us... I discard that thought almost immediately No, I couldn't do that. I just couldn't. A hero couldn't do that. I don't know if its evil or not. There's a lot of signs pointing to it, but its far for a confirmation. For all I know, Kyoko's wish screwed up her life without any interference from this creature. So I can't do it. If there's to be consequences for letting the creature live, I will soldier them. I can't push the consequences of my selfishness into others. I wouldn't only be me, but Kyoko too, but that doesn't change anything. I save everybody. Somehow, even though the world as show me otherwise so many times, I will stay try to find a way to save everybody. "I don't like this, but its over, Kyubei."

I dispelled the twin swords. The creature fell down to the ground, still oozing blood from its wounds. It didn't look hurt, though. It seemed like it didn't even felt it. It looked up at my, its expression never changing. That made me... well, not nervous, but a bit wary. It looked far too unnatural to be something alive, and it didn't let credence at all to the theory that its intentions were good in anyway. The more I looked into those wide, empty eyes, the more it made me reconsider my decision to let it live.

"Why don't you kill me?" it asked.

"Does it matter? Just go!"

And it went. The creature, whatever it really was, went back into the darkness of the ally, climbing up the wall even with its injuries, leaped across the top of the building and disappeared beyond it an instant later. Uh. Its species didn't seem to have much in the way for combat capabilities, but they were seriously abnormal. I sighed. A whole lot of work for not really much of anything. Well. At least now, I wasn't walking in this mess blindly. It was not much, but something was something. Even the smallest thing could make a difference in any kind of fight. Besides. I've gotten enough to track it down whenever I wanted to, as long as I had the necessary materials. Letting it go now didn't matter.

"Shirou..." Kyoko trailed off, and swallowed, once. I wondered if I was making her nervous. "Why didn't you kill him? I meant, its not like I wanted you to do it, but you looked ready to do that."

"I want to be a hero who saves everybody." I said, completely sincere. "As long as I don't know for sure that they are evil, I don't think its right to do anything like that. I don't want an ending where even one person is dead or miserable. I know its impossible, but I'm still chasing after it. That's all there's to it."

She looked up at me. From the corner of my eye, I could see her strange expression. Her eyes were full of confusion, wonder and perhaps a hint of pithy. She didn't understand, like so many people before her. But that didn't matter. It only mattered that she looked troubled. I reached out, put my right hand on her right shoulder and squeezed it. As if to say I am here, I know your streght. At least, I hoped she took it that way. She didn't say anything. We stayed like that without moving or saying anything, the cold breeze blowing. After a minute or two, perhaps four, she took a deep breath.

"I am fine." And she sounded like it, too. But I don´t think she was really fine. Knowing that made me felt awkward. I don´t know how to dealt with her pain. I resolved to not let the ugliness of the world drag me down, but I can´t tell her why and expect it to be solved. Our feeling are too different for my experiences to be of use to her. So, I really don´t know what to do right now.

"If you say so..." I say, inviting her to speak about it. If I can´t do anything to change it, I least can listen to her.

"I am, really. It's nothing. Just let´s go." So we headed back home, jumping from building to building. I dispeled the swords before moving, of course.

* * *

After it´s death from the wounds inflicted by that man's swords, Kyubei waked up like nothing had happened in a new body. It came to it´s feet without difficulty, a few meters away and when towards the corpse, thinking over what had just happen. That man was obviously dangerous. It had gotten close to far too many truths, and his abilities were something completely unthinkable. It was magic, but a magic different for what they knew. It wasn´t supposed to be possible. He had said a few interesting things, but it hadn´t no way to confirm them and, besides, it didn´t even know where it could start to investigate that.

The Incubator came to a stop near the corpse, bend down and started to eat it. It wouldn´t take long to devour it completely, reabsorbing it into itself. They set up to stop entropy, so they couldn´t waste a single bit of energy. Even eating it´s own corpse was nothing but a part of the guidelines, and as one of the many it followed them. The eating finished, and has it swallowed them it´s mind started to get back into track.

That man was a danger to the plan. He should be eliminated, but he was also a potential boom to the Incubator's purposes. Whatever magic the man had used was something outside of their knowledge, and might even provide a better method of stopping entropy. The threat was unimportant, comparing to that chance. What that man had said... about what was hidden in the moonlit world. It would drag out all his secrets, and tap into all the potential of that new magic system.

No matter what it had to do.


End file.
